The Hindu : Karnataka / Bidar News : JD(S) yet to decide on candidate from Bidar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 16, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bidar

JD(S) yet to decide on candidate from Bidar

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIDAR, SEPT. 15. There seems to be some confusion in the Janata Dal (Secular) about whether to field a candidate in the byelection from the Bidar Lok Sabha (reserved) seat or support the nominee of its coalition partner, the Congress. While some leaders are supporting a Congress candidate, party workers are said to be against the idea and are pressing for the fielding of a candidate.

The idea of the JD(S) supporting a Congress candidate, mooted by the district Congress leadership, was accepted by the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, and was forwarded to the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) for considerationsoon after the byelection was announced.

The AICC secretary in charge of Karnataka, Mirza Irshad Baig, had also said that "discussions on the issue are on at some levels."

Proposal considered

Some JD(S) leaders at the district and the State level had also agreed to consider the proposal. The vice-president of the party's State unit, Baburao Gudage, had said that the idea was "not unfavourable" to the party and that party leaders would consult the workers before arriving at a final decision.

However, the JD(S) camp does not seem to be in favour of such a move. A letter submitted to the party president, H.D. Deve Gowda, by the presidents of various wings of the district unit, urged the State leadership not to agree to the Congress' proposal. The district unit president, Amrit Rao Chimkod, said that he would prefer fielding a JD(S) candidate rather than supporting someone from the Congress.

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